Heartbreak
by Beanus
Summary: They got to the surface, but it wasn't Frisk's surface. They just have to try again...right? [Underswap AU]


Papyrus couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Of course, he'd never tell anyone that, they just got to the surface, this is what everyone wanted! How dare he go ahead and say 'hey, this is kinda fucked up, isn't it?'.

...right?

Papyrus gently took his cigarette out and blew, watching the smoke blow away in the wind. His inner monologue was abruptly stopped by Sans poking him in the side.

"wowie, brother, look at the big ol' orb in the sky!"

"S'CALLED THE SUN, BRO."

Sans gasped and turned towards his brother, his star pupils spinning in excitement.

"do you think it wants to be my friend, too?!"

Papyrus chuckled and patted his shoulder. "IT'D BE AN IDIOT NOT TO BE YOUR FRIEND. ALRIGHT, I GOTTA JET, FIND THE KID 'N ALL THAT. MAKE A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION, ALRIGHT?"

Sans hugged his brother, wrapping his short arms around Papyrus' waist. "i'll try my hardest! come then, alphys!"

Turning around, Papyrus walked over to where Frisk was sitting and crouched down beside them. Grin widening, he pat the child on the head to get their attention.

"Y'KNOW, YOU'RE LOOKIN' A LITTLE GLUM FOR A KID WHO LIBERATED ALL OF MONSTERKIND. WHAT'S HANGIN'? YOU CAN TELL OL' PAPYRUS ANYTHING."

The kid stayed silent. Papyrus narrowed his sockets, but kept grinning. Putting the cigarette back into his mouth, he edged over and sat down, sighing.

"...LET'S JUST GET TO THE POINT. SOMETHING IS WRONG, AND I HAVE THIS ACHING FEELING IN MY BONES THAT **YOU KNOW SOMETHING**."

Frisk's face scrunched up in barely concealed pain.

"MY STUDIES WITH UNDYNE INDICATE THAT THERE HAS BEEN A TON OF ACTIVITY RECENTLY." Papyrus took a drag, coughing a bit. "TIMELINES JUMPING LEFT AND RIGHT, STOPPING AND STARTING..." _  
_

Frisk visibly reacted this time, retching as recollection flashed in their hollow eyes. Papyrus pretended not to notice, casually swinging his legs over the cliff's edge.

"UNTIL SUDDENLY, **EVERYTHING ENDS.** NOW GEE GODDAMN WILLIKERS FRISK, I WONDER WHO HAS TIME POWERS IN OUR LITTLE CIRCLE OF BUDDIES?"

Frisk continued to blankly stare at the sunrise, allowing for Papyrus to calm himself down.

"...I'M SORRY, YOU DON'T DESERVE TO BE YELLED AT LIKE THAT. WE ALL LOVE YOU, FRISK. AND LET'S BE HONEST HERE...I JUST WANT YOU TO BE THE BEST PERSON YOU CAN BE."

Frisk felt their SOUL burst with guilt and pain.

For a second, it really sounded like _him._

"...I can't...I just..."

Papyrus really wanted to say _'YOU CAN'T JUST ADMIT THAT YOU'RE A TIME-JUMPING BROTHER KILLER'_ , but decided against it.

"CAN'T WHAT, KIDDO? I ASSURE YOU, THERE AIN'T NOTHING WE CAN'T HELP YOU WITH."

Frisk took a shaky breath and wobbled up to their feet. "...Lies. He's still down there. He needs to be saved."

Papyrus' grin wavered. He was losing the kid quickly. "WHO? LET ME HELP, FRISK. DON'T DO SOMETHING STUPID...KID?"

Frisk openly sobbed this time, attracting the attention of Asgore and a sheepish Toriel. "I c-c-can't stop...! Not now! Not...until...I'm s-sorry, Papyrus."

Papyrus got up and started moving towards Frisk, eye glowing a flaming orange. "...FRISK? YOU CAN'T DO THIS...NOT AFTER..."

 **"I'm so sorry."**

Frisk's SOUL jumped out of their chest and glowed a bright white.

Papyrus' grin finally slipped off of his face, revealing a horrified grimace. He turned away from Frisk to hide his tears.

"HEH...OKAY. I GUESS WE REALLY WEREN'T FRIENDS AFTER ALL, HUH?"

A flash, and Papyrus' whole world turned white and started disappearing. He made sure to scream his next line so that the kid heard him loud and clear, so they'd remember the friends they behind. Maybe they'd hear him and just stop all this bullshit.

"brother!" Sans ran over just as he closed his mouth and slammed into his waist, sobbing. "w-what's happening?! a-a-alphys disappeared, and then the king, a-and-"

He was disappearing too. Pieces of his brother breaking off and disappearing, and he couldn't do anything about it. Papyrus bitterly chuckled as he watched Sans dissipate into the void, still crying.

"YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED, SANS? I HOPED. I HOPED AND THIS IS WHERE IT GOT US."

* * *

"SO, AS I WAS SAYING ABOUT UNDYNE..."

Papyrus stopped as he noticed something enter the area in his field of vision. He quickly turned to Sans, who turned to the human, who turned to him, and then turned to...

Papyrus made sure to stop turning as the speed was getting too intense, even for a cool dude like him.

"SANS! OH MY GOD! IS THAT...ERM..."

His smile lost a bit of it's luster, causing Sans to look at him with concerned (and partially fearful) eyes.

"what's wrong, pap? it's a bone-ified human, your dream came true!"

"I KNOW THAT, SANS, BUT..." Papyrus turned back around to look at the human. They looked so...small.

And familiar.

Papyrus couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

"HUMAN, I...UM...I KNOW THAT THIS WILL SOUND VERY SILLY, BUT HAVE WE MET BEFORE? THOSE EYES OF YOURS...THEY TELL A STORY THAT IS RIGHT ON THE TIP OF MY PROVERBIAL TONGUE!"

Sans stiffened as the kid started crying, tears freely dripping down onto the snow in front of them.

Frisk couldn't stop replaying Papyrus' final words as the world reset, ignoring Papyrus' yells of concern and Sans' steeled gaze. They fell to their knees, shaking.

 _"TO TAKE AWAY ALL OUR HOPES AT THE LAST STRETCH, KID... **BURN IN HELL.**_

 _ **I'LL BE WAITING THERE TO KICK YOUR ASS AGAIN.** "_

* * *

 **A/N:** Have a shoddily written piece that follows along the lines of 'Frisk keeps resetting to save Asriel and they run through all the AUs in an effort to find the right one'.

In this story's 'canon', I think that Frisk can no longer return to the original Undertale after the first reset. They're essentially stuck in a hell that they can't escape from, and they can never meet their original friends and family ever again.

Ouch. Good thing this is a one-shot or I'd feel _terrible._


End file.
